I Never Thought I’d Get Excited About a Trash Can (But Here We Are)

For people who don’t want their kitchen to smell like last Tuesday.

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1. Simplehuman 45 Liter Rectangular Step Can with Liner Pocket

You know that moment when you take out the trash and the bag slips down inside and suddenly you’re fishing around in last night’s coffee grounds with your bare hands? This can has a pocket in the back that dispenses liners one at a time, so you never have to hunt for a bag again. The step pedal is smooth and weighted — it doesn’t slam shut like every other can you’ve owned. And the fingerprint-proof steel means it actually looks clean even when it’s not. You will catch yourself showing it to guests. You will feel ridiculous. You will not care.


2. iTouchless 13 Gallon Sensor Trash Can with Odor Filter

For the person whose trash can is the smelliest thing in their house and they’ve just learned to walk faster past it. The sensor opens when your hand gets close — no touching, no pedal, no “did I wash my hands after that?” moment. The built-in carbon filter actually absorbs smell instead of just covering it up with fake lemon scent. If you’ve ever walked into your kitchen and immediately known what you had for dinner two nights ago, this fixes that.

$75 (NOW -17%)


3. Joseph Joseph Intelligent Waste Totem Trash Can

Your kitchen is the size of a closet and your trash, recycling, and compost are currently three separate bags on the floor. This is a single slim unit that stacks all three vertically — trash on top, recycling in the middle, food waste down below. It takes up the same footprint as one regular can but handles your entire waste life. The kind of thing that makes you look around your kitchen and think, “How did I live like that before?”

$192 (NOW -20%)


4. OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin

You want to compost but you don’t want a smelly bucket of rotting vegetables sitting on your counter attracting fruit flies. This little bin has a lid that flips up and stays up while you scrape plates, then seals tight when you’re done. The smooth interior wipes clean in about three seconds — no ridges or corners for gunk to hide in. It sits on your counter looking like it belongs there, not like a science experiment you forgot about.

$31 (NOW -18%)


5. mDesign Over-the-Cabinet Trash Bag Holder

You don’t have floor space for a trash can. You don’t have cabinet space for a pull-out bin. You have a cabinet door. This hooks over the inside of it and holds your grocery bags open so you can scrape plates directly in. When it’s full, you lift the bag out and throw it away. No installation, no drilling, no commitment. The kind of stupid-simple solution that makes you angry you didn’t think of it yourself.


EKO Hudson Matte Stainless 75 Liter/20 Gallon Step Trash Can with Rear Trash Bag Storage Compartment

You take out the trash, reach for a new bag, and realize the roll is in the garage, or under the sink behind the cleaning supplies you never use. This can has a storage compartment built into the back — the bags live with the can, where they belong. The matte stainless finish doesn’t show every fingerprint and water spot like every other “stainless” thing you own. The step pedal is heavy and smooth, not the cheap clacky kind that sounds like you’re stomping a cockroach. It’s the kind of can that makes you realize you’ve been accepting a worse life than you needed to.


2. BestOffice 13 Gallon Trash Can with Lid | Automatic Touchless Garbage Can | Odor Control | Modern Oval Design

You just finished handling raw chicken and now you need to throw away the packaging. Do you touch the trash can lid with your greasy hands? Do you use your elbow and hope it works? This can opens when you wave your hand near the sensor — no touching, no gymnastics, no “I’ll wash my hands after this, probably.” The oval shape slides into narrow spaces between cabinets where round cans won’t fit. And the sealed lid actually traps smell instead of letting it waft out every time you walk past. If you’ve ever apologized to a guest for how your kitchen smells, this is the fix.


3. Lovewind Dual Trash and Recycling Bins for Kitchen, 13+6 Gallon Stainless Steel Garbage and Recycle Bin

You want to recycle but you don’t have room for two separate cans, so your recycling ends up in a paper bag on the floor that leaks and tears and eventually becomes its own problem. This is one unit with two compartments — trash on one side, recycling on the other. Same footprint as one can, but your entire waste system is handled. The stainless steel doesn’t look like a utility item — it looks like something you chose on purpose. And when the recycling truck comes, you just lift out the inner bin instead of dragging a dripping bag across your floor.

$150 (NOW -12%)


4. Vanpopubs 2 Pack 2.7 Gal Bathroom Trash Can with Lid, Automatic Trash Can Small Smart Garbage Can Touchless

Your bathroom trash can is currently an open-top plastic bin from college that shows every Q-tip and tissue and empty shampoo bottle to anyone who walks in. These are small, sensor-activated cans with lids that seal — so your bathroom looks like a bathroom, not like evidence. The 2.7 gallon size is perfect for a bathroom: big enough that you’re not emptying it every other day, small enough that it fits beside the toilet or under the sink. And because it’s a 2-pack, you finally have an excuse to replace the sad bin in the guest bathroom too.


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